KIRKLAND, WASHINGTON -- I am an EXTREMELY UNHAPPY customer living a HORRIBLE SERVICE SITUATION that sadly continues on. Our problems began on 1/30/2013. I came downstairs that morning and our fridge that we have had for only a few years had stopped working sometime in the night. All food was spoiled. My husband called the service number and we were given an appointment date on 2/6/2013 -- A GUARANTEED ONE WEEK OF NO WORKING FRIDGE.

The service technician arrived, made an assessment and then insisted on ordering the part as an emergency, which we appreciated. He was rescheduled to come back to our home on 2/13/2013. ANOTHER WEEK OF NO WORKING FRIDGE. But, he also said that if the part arrived sooner than that, call in and he could come earlier. We did call in, and no, they were not able to have him come earlier. Clearly there isn't a policy for moving waiting customers forward in the queue.

So, on 2/13/2013 the second technician arrived. He installed the part, but then made the assessment that a second part was needed to fix the fridge because it still didn't work. He ordered that second part while still in our home. It also was ordered as an emergency, with our next service date scheduled for 2/18/2013.

On 2/17/2013 my husband received an automated call with a message to call Sears. Our service appointment had been cancelled because the part had not arrived. Our next service date was scheduled for 2/22/2013. NOW WE ARE OVER 3 WEEKS WITHOUT A WORKING FRIDGE. And again, he received an automated call on 2/21/2013 that the part had still not arrived, so our service appointment was cancelled again.

By this time, our family of 5 had had it. I took my three children out of town just so we could have a working fridge. With all the service appointments scheduled, we expected to come home to a working fridge. However, that was not to be. We have now been talking with the Sears Repair Active Solutions group. Unfortunately, their record keeping is not good. We have talked with **, ** and **, none of which knew our story or had the correct dates and actions in their records, so we have had to enlighten them each time.

When I have asked to escalate the call, each one told us that they were the ones who make the decisions and wouldn't transfer us to a higher decision making authority, stonewalling us each time. I believe their department is a black hole with no way of escalating.

On 2/22/2013, that group suggested that we rent a refrigerator and that they will reimburse us for the cost while our refrigerator is not working. First of all, why didn't they mention that a lot earlier? And second, our local rental companies only rent month to month. Since we are already approaching 4 weeks with this service issue, I am optimistic that this refrigerator situation will be resolved within the next month, so I'll be stuck with part of the rental bill. And third, the rental company can't deliver anything to us until the middle of next week, so what's the point?

We also have $250 food spoilage coverage. Great. However, we don't receive that money until the fridge is fixed. And what about the groceries that I cannot buy right now and the added expense of eating out or shopping daily since we can't save anything? $250 doesn't make a dent into our food elevated bill these last several weeks. And then there is that we have been told by two of the service reps ** and ** - that GE has reported that they don't have the part needed and it is back ordered indefinitely. If that is true, why on earth is Sears forcing us to endure this pain? They could instead simply move ahead with the replacement fridge and be done with us.

I am a very patient person, I teach middle school - but I have reached my breaking point. I am done being patient. I am no longer giving Sears the benefit of the doubt. I have come to realize that sadly there is no one easily contactable who has any power to deal with our situation, which at this point is simply getting a replacement fridge. So, while we continue to be stonewalled and will have to endure this process to get the replacement in the end, we have contacted our attorney. My husband is a social media expert and will be doing damage to Sears' reputation.

This is what this service process has reduced us to, which in the end is simply telling the truth about our bad experience. Sears has lost us as a future customer as well as the many, many others that my husband and I will reach.

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Service nightmare

By DogPatchLair2 - 07/21/2011

I'd like to share my ongoing nightmare of circumstances surrounding the repair of a refrigerator I purchased through Sears. I have been attempting for several weeks to have this refrigerator, which is warranted, serviced. I've provided a timeline which includes my several, albeit, unsuccessful attempts to remedy this ongoing situation.

July 5, 2011, 1300-1700 hours: Pursuant to my calling and making an appointment, a Sear's service repairman was scheduled to come to my house between 1300 – 1700 hours, to evaluate my refrigerator. At 2000 hours, the serviceman arrived and stated he needed to order some parts. He arranged for the parts to be sent directly to my house, and scheduled an installation appointment for July 15, 2011, between the hours of 0800-1200 hours.

July 13, 2011: In anticipation of the July 15, 2011 appointment, and per the serviceman's instructions, I emptied and unplugged my refrigerator.

July 15, 2011, 0800-1200 hours: I arranged to be, and was, at my house between the hours of 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM. 1400 hours: I called the general Sears repair number and inquired as to where the repairman was and what time I might expect his arrival. I was notified that a message was being sent to the repairman and he would call me within a few minutes. 1500 hours: Once again, I called the general Sears repair number. This time I was informed that the serviceman was running late and would arrive by 1730 hours.

1545 hours: The serviceman called me and stated he an emergency, was not coming out, and that he rescheduled the appointment to July 23, between the hours of 1300-1700 hours. I told him I that would not work and needed someone out immediately. He stated I needed to call the general number to reschedule.

1550: I called the general number, explained the situation and asked to reschedule the appointment the repairman made for me on July 23, 2011 between 1300-1700 hours. I was told they could not reschedule the appointment as I have an “active” appointment scheduled for today between 0800-1200 hours.

I stated that time had already passed and that the repairman told me he rescheduled me for July 23, 2011, between 1300-1700 hours and that I needed an earlier appointment as I currently have house guests (with more arriving). I asked to speak to the supervisor and was told she was busy. I asked to have her call back and was told she would return my call within an hour.

1850: Once again, I called and explained the situation and that the supervisor who was to call me within an hour, had not returned my call. This time I was told that I qualify for “emergency service” and a message was sent to routing. I could expect a return call by early the next morning (July 16, 2011).

July 16, 2011, 0930 hours: I called to follow up on my “emergency service” and was told there were no technicians (repairmen) available today and they don't work on Sunday. I was told someone would call me within 12 hours and that I was still scheduled for service on July 23, 2011. I told them I needed someone immediately and was told there were no servicemen available and they didn't work on Sunday (July 17, 2011).

*No one returned my call. I placed another call and was told someone should call me back sometime within the next two days. Again, I stated that was unacceptable as I have a party of 30-40 people arriving on July 22, 2011. Again I was told no one worked on Sunday and if July 23, 2011 didn't work, they could come out on July 25, 2011 or later.

July 18, 2011, 0940 hours: I again called as no one had returned my calls and was told the earliest someone could come out would be July 23, 2011. Again, I asked to speak to a supervisor, who actually did return my call. The supervisor, **, told me that within two hours, he would have someone from the “Blue Ribbon Customer Service” call me. I also indicated I lost a lot of food due to this situation and he told me I was entitled to a “food loss protection” up to $200.

1035 hours: ** from “Blue Ribbon Customer Service” called. She assigned me a Case Number and told me she would get someone out as soon as possible. She did call back and told me a repairman was scheduled to arrive on July 21, 2011, between 1300-1700 hours. I asked her about the “food loss protection” and was told my specific warranty did not cover it. She also stated that she put in the notes that no one was to change/modify or cancel the July 21, 2011 appointment without her being notified directly.

July 21, 2011, 0600 hours: In preparation for the serviceman, I again unplugged my refrigerator and stored my perishables in an ice chest. (More food as I'm preparing for 30-40 guests.) 1537 hours: The repairman called and said he was about 15 minutes out. Again, I waited. 1635 hours: The repairman called and stated he was not coming out and sent a routing for another serviceman to come out.

1657 hours: I called the “Blue Ribbon Customer Service” representative, ** and left a message. The call was after her normal work hours, so I called their alternative number and explained the situation. They stated that someone should call me by close of business tomorrow (July 22, 2011). I again stated I needed someone out immediately. Once again my food is thawing out and this time it's enough to feed 30-40 people.

1700 hours (approximate): I made several calls and was finally able to get a private repair company that sent someone out to put the parts in the refrigerator. He arrived around 1830 hours, put the parts in and expressed concern that the original problem may have been misdiagnosed.

IN CONCLUSION: After three weeks of numerous attempts to have, what one might refer to as a “simple” repair, the situation remains unresolved. I have taken time off work, lost a substantial amount of perishable foods, had overnight guests whom I've had to entertain in a third-world modality and to boot, have 30-40 people coming over tomorrow for a major celebration. Additionally, I've taken time off from work, sat around the house for hours on end, in anticipation of the repairman's arrival.

It boggles my mind that a company (Sears) with a supposed good and reliable reputation has taken me on the chase of my life. I'm at wit's end. I'm afraid Sears will not reimburse me for my time, my lost food and the private repairman whom I hired in a last-minute desperation.

Company Response 7/22/2011:

Dear Ms. DogPatchLair2:

We found this post and I wanted to reach out and express our concern and our deepest apologies for this situation. When we set up a service call, we anticipate that we can get the service tech to your home and the service completed within the time frame we give you. The issue with your service was most likely because a technician was held on service appointments that took longer than expected or as the tech told you he had an emergency and couldn't get another tech to your home. We can't ask a tech to leave a job partially done in order to make the next appointment(s). We wouldn't do that to you or any of our customers. We also can't know how long a particular job is going to take until the technician gets to the job and diagnoses the issue. Many times it takes longer because we are not going to cut corners for the sake of time. This does cause delays on occasion, but sacrificing quality for time is simply not an option for us. Of course, this is not an excuse, just an explanation. I can understand your frustration and inconvenience while waiting so many different dates for the tech to arrive. I can only imagine the hassel and frustration you are feeling. We would like to talk with you to see how we can make this right for you and make sure that everything that can be done for you is being done.

My name is Susan and I'm part of the Sears Social Media Escalations team. At your convenience, please contact my office via email at smsupport@searshc.com so we can get this resolved for you. In the email, please provide a contact phone number and the phone number the refrigerator was purchased under (if different than the contact phone number) and we will call you directly. Also, in your email, please provide the screen name (DogPatchLair2) you used to post on this site, for reference to your issue and we do look forward to talking to you soon.

Thank you,
Susan R.
Social Media Moderator
Sears Social Media Support

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Ridiculous About Serving Customer

By NMY - 03/07/2011

ILLINOIS -- Sears repair service is the worst in the world. I first called Sears on 2/21 to come out for my refrigerator. Freezer side of my refrigerator stopped working. The tech comes out and sees that one of the sensor for the ice maker is not working and that's why the freezer side is not working. So he orders the part and according to him “he put a rush on it". Mind you, we are talking about a refrigerator here and all my groceries are going bad and I can't buy more groceries because of the freezer. I called them on 2/25 to find out the status on the part. People at Sears have no clue about the part, they have no tracking # whatsoever.

So finally one guy tells me if the part doesn't arrive by Monday 2/28, call us. Sure enough, Monday comes by and we still don't have the part. So I call Sears again and wondering what's going on. Again no one has any clue. After being on the phone with different reps for couple of hours, I get a chance to speak with a so called supervisor. He assures me that my refrigerator will be fixed on Tuesday. I told him, more power to him if you can have the part and a technician out here tomorrow.

He said if I want to bet him. I said, I don't want to bet him but if he wants to take this challenge, be my guest. All I wanted was, my refrigerator fixed. He said, if he can't get this fixed, I can have his job (like I need his pathetic job with the ridiculous company) He said to call back Tuesday and speak to him if this thing is not resolved (he even gave me his Employee ID# and his extension#, which God only knows, even exist). I knew that he was full of hot air, so I took it upon myself and sent out a nasty gram to the following Sears executives: **

I didn't know if it's going to work on but it was worth the shot. After that, I did little more research and found a number for their "Executive customer service". I spoke with them and explain to them that it has been a week and no one has any clue on the part. The representative there, assured me that the part should arrive tomorrow BLAH BLAH BLAH. Well on Tuesday 3/1, the tech shows up and asks us for the part.

We are like, how the heck we know, you are the one who ordered it. He said, OK, he will reschedule his appointment for 3/3 and the part should arrive by then. I also received a call from the Executive customer service stating that they are responding to my email. So I was happy that my nasty gram wasn't a waste of time and energy. Couple hours after the tech leaves, the part shows up.

So I called and scheduled an appointment for 3/2. Now the interesting thing is, I am in IL, and Sears sends out a part from California VIA UPS Ground. Grounds takes 5 business day from California to IL. Now, one day for them to come take a look, 5 days for part to get here and one additional day for them to come out and install part. We are into 9 days of not having our freezer. It gets better. The tech that came out was the same tech that came out the first day. I had told him that the water had stopped working too but he apparently ignored me.

So when he comes in on 3/2 (funny, he doesn't even ring a bell and puts a "sorry we missed you" sticky on the door and was about to leave, I happened to see him and ran out to stop him, he claims that he rang the bell and tried calling on my cell, what a bull crap). So when he comes in to install the ice maker, he just installs the ice maker and about to walk out. I asked him, how long will it take for it work? "He said 8 hours". I said fine but what about the water? He was like "what about the water"?

I told him that I informed him on the first day that the water was not working. So he goes behind the refrigerator and says "Oh it needs a valve and he will order it". So my wife asks him, "what, another week for the part"? He goes "yeah" without any worries. Fine, it's only water, I can live with it. 12 hours go by and the freezer still not working and it's Thursday 3/3 now. So I reach out to the "executive customer service" and told her the tech was piece of work. He didn't do crap. So she apologized and said that she will send out another tech to come out on Friday between 8-12 on 3/4. Very frustrating but I had no other choice.

We waited till about 12:15 on 3/4 and no one shows up. I called Sears and they said that tech was running little late and he will call us. I called them back again at 12:45 pm and the person there said that he will be there in 30 minutes. I got little busy and didn't get a chance to call them until 2:30 to find out where the heck the tech was. They said, the tech took it upon himself and cancelled the appointment because we had the parts coming on 3/8. I am like what??? Parts were for the water and not for the freezer side.

I was on the phone with at least 12 different rude people until 5:00 pm (I am not exaggerating) who had no clue what's going on and reading off the freaking scripts. I finally was able to get a hold of another executive customer service person and she said that she's going to have the tech call you. So the tech finally calls me and I explain to him that the parts that other moron tech ordered were for the water and not the freezer. I know this because, he told us that it's going to work in 8 hours, so why would he order other freezer parts (may be lying so won't get into trouble? Humn... interesting).

He was really apologetic and said that he's going to have a senior tech come out on Monday 3/7. I was fuming at this point, now we are going into 3rd week and the freezer still not working. So I sent out another nasty gram to the following executives: **

So this morning on 3/7, I received another call from the customer service saying that, we will have to cancel the appointment because the parts are on order and no point of tech coming out. At that point, I wanted to reach out to the person on the other side of the phone and choke them. I explain to her that the parts were for the water and not the freezer and I begged her not to cancel the appointment. So she was nice enough to not cancel the appointment. I also reached out the tech who called me on Friday and asked him for help. He was really nice and reached out the tech supposed to come out and ensured that he was still coming out.

So finally today the senior tech came out, was nice and professional and knew what he was doing. He checked several things and told us what to do and said that someone has to come out and install the parts are coming and it should work. This guy seems to know what he's doing so I trust that it will be fixed in next couple of days. But shame on Sears for letting it go this far. I didn't ask to repair a rocket, it's a freaking refrigerator. It's ridiculous that it takes 3 weeks to service a refrigerator. I wouldn't recommend their service to anyone.

Had my wife been working, either her or I had to miss out 4 work days and not to mention, that we have to go out to Walmart to get some water throw away some groceries. PLEASE DON'T USE SEARS unless you REALLY want to take some blood pressure medication...

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Very Very bad service

By Sarichef - 07/25/2010

In Feb, 2009, we bought a side by side refrigerator/freezer with a dual cooling system from Sears. In May of 2010 our water dispenser quit, and we noticed the fridge was not as cool. The problem got worse so we called Sears Repair and scheduled a repair appointment.

I took time off work in order to be at the house between 8 am and 12 pm. The repairman came out on June 9 and diagnosed the problem - the fridge cooling system had frozen up - there was no problem with the freezer. He ordered some parts and on June 15th I again took time off work and the repairman returned, installed the parts and the fridge was once again working. He determined the work and the parts were not covered under our warranty and charged us $281.

Three weeks later the fridge again quit cooling & again, no problem with the freezer. We contacted Sears Repair on July 11th via the internet. Sears Repair responded that they would schedule us for July 20. I responded that Sears had already been out once and “fixed the problem” and that I now had a non-working fridge and according to their schedule, would continue to have a non-working fridge for another nine days. Sears Repair then decided to schedule me for an “emergency repair” and set up the appointment between 1 and 5 pm on July 13. I again took time off work to be at home when the repairman arrived.

The repairman did not show up. I did receive a call a little after 4 pm advising me that the repairman was running late and would arrive between 5 and 6 - Nobody showed up. At 7:20 pm, we were called and told that the repairman would not be able to make it out that night and that Sears would call us to reschedule.

On July 14, I again talked with Sears Repair, and we started the process of scheduling all over again. This time they said they could schedule me for July 20 -- leaving us ten days without a fridge. I explained my situation to them -- a non-working fridge, and advised them that the appointment they missed was an “emergency repair”. Sears then decided that they could schedule yet another “emergency appointment” and set it up for Friday, July 16 between 1 and 5 pm -- now only 6 days without a fridge.

I again made arrangements to take time off work to be at the house when the repairman arrived. He showed up a little after 4 pm and proceeded to go to work on the Fridge. The freezer was still working just fine. The repairman pulled a circuit board out of the back of the fridge and performed some tests, and then got into the fridge and saw that our cooling system was once again frozen up. He thawed the cooling system (removed a bunch of ice) and then determined that a heating element on the cooling system (keeps the cooling system from forming ice) was not working -- it had a split in it.

He then determined that the repairs the previous repairman had undertaken were not necessary and that our cooling system was still under warranty. He reversed the previous $281 charge and ordered the parts he felt we would need. He explained that while we just needed the heating element it could only be ordered as one unit that was a combination of heating element and evaporator.

He then determined that because he had cleared the ice that the fridge would function until a repairman could return and install the heating element. He turned the fridge on and waited to confirm that the blower was working that the fridge and freezer were cooling correctly. Feeling confident the fridge would run for a few more weeks, he offered me a Saturday appointment on July 31, so that I would not have to take any more time off work, which I gladly accepted.

Later on that night, I tried to use the ice dispenser in the freezer and learned that it was no longer working. I figured that when the repairman pulled and tested the circuit board that he did not correctly reinstall it as the ice dispenser was working just fine prior to his repair appointment. The next morning I noticed that the fridge was once again not cooling. In fact, it was sitting at 53 degrees. So, once again I called Sears Repair. And once again we started all over again with setting up an appointment over a week out.

I once again explained the problem - how many times the repairman had been there; the fact that I had been scheduled twice for an emergency repair, etc, etc, and in addition, now the ice maker and dispenser were not working. The Sears Representative that I was talking to then referred me to a “technical consultant” and we started all over again. Once again I explained my situation, the emergency repair, etc, and as a result, was referred to what I believe was called “customer solutions”, and we stared all over again. Once again I explained the situation, and asked if someone could stop by that day and look at the fridge.

I explained about the circuit board, and told Sears Repair that I suspected that it had not been correctly reinstalled. I got lots of apologies, acknowledgement that I did indeed sound frustrated, but the soonest they could get someone back out to the house would be July 28. That would leave us without a fridge for 14 days and there was no guarantees that the fridge would be successfully repaired on the 28th I explained again that I didn't have a working fridge, and according to their repair schedule, that I would be without a fridge for almost three weeks, I again requested that someone stop by the house and look at the fridge that day.

Again with apologies, I was told that Sears Repair would not be able to stop by that day, and the earliest time would be July 28. We went back and forth for a while, and I expressed my frustration at their inability to properly diagnose and fix the problem - and their lack of customer service. It got me nowhere. I was told repeatedly that there was nothing else they could do for me. I ended it by hanging up. Shortly after that, I was unpleasantly provided with the reality of why my Ice Maker and Dispenser were not working. It was because my freezer was no longer working. It was rapidly thawing!

How did it all end? That day, we went Refrigerator shopping, we had no choice! Sears left us high and dry without a functioning fridge and freezer and would do nothing about it until July 28. Bad, very bad, repair and customer service! Unbelievable, uncaring, unconscionable customer service! In addition, during this whole two month issue, I also stopped by the Sears store to talk with the appliance manager to express my dismay that I had a fridge that was not working (at that time) just 15 months after I purchased it.

He explained that if it had been a Kenmore product maybe he could help me. However he did agree to make some inquiries on my behalf and took my contact information. We never heard from him again. I also called and asked to speak with the store manager, explaining that I felt that he might be able to weigh in and help me move the process along to. I was assured he would get the message and would call me back after 1:00 pm that day. I never heard from him! This was not the Sears store or service department that we have been accustomed to more than 37 years as Sears customers. Satisfaction Guaranteed? Not anymore.

There's more to this, with regard to repeatedly being asked if I had an extended warranty, did I want to buy an extended warranty, - you know, you wouldn't have this problem if only you had bought an extended warranty. Does that mean that if I did have an extended warranty, the repairman would have shown up with the problem diagnosed correctly with the parts on hand and the fridge have been repaired the first time? Would the problem have been prevented if I had the extended warranty? I don't think so.

I also had a discussion with Sears Repair twice, regarding my hope that based on the history of this problem, the repairman would show up with the correct parts to make the repair, rather than looking at the fridge and determining that parts would have to be ordered, thus turning one repair appointment into many, depending on a correct diagnosis and my continued need to take time off work to be at home during the “four” hour window that Sears scheduled. And, there was the issue about the cooling failure being a common problem with the brand I had purchased, notwithstanding a new fridge only lasting 15 months.

Then there was a customer service representative who wanted to diagnose and deliver an opinion over the phone, based on the parts the repairman ordered. Point is, that person was not present when the repairman was at my house, and the repairman explained to me what the problem was, and why he took the action that he did to order the part. Then there is the combined 12 hours of personal time I had to take from work in order to be at the house to meet the repairman. And of course, the no show appointment. Very very bad repair and customer service by a company who used to bend over backwards to ensure the customer was satisfied!

And, there is the company I bought the new fridge from. Upon learning that the fridge we decided to purchase would be on backorder for a few weeks, they delivered a loaner fridge to me, free of charge. Their idea, not mine. That's the kind of customer service we would have received from Sears not too long ago... Finally, after all of this, why would I ever do business with Sears again?

ONLINE PURCHASE FROM SEARS.COM, PENNSYLVANIA -- I purchased close to $6,000 of kitchen appliances in September 2011 — from your store in Greensburg, PA, and a wine refrigerator online at Sears.com. The wine refrigerator was a built-in EdgeStar CWR460DZ (serial 1106910067) with a Sears Master Protection Agreement filed under my cell number. The warranty was good to 8/14/2016.

The wine cooler stopped working in November 2013. I scheduled an appointment for December 17, 2013, 1-5 pm and took ½ a vacation day. The tech from AE said there was a problem with the compressor/some related part. He called it in and his office claimed that my Sears Protection Agreement had been improperly processed by Sears. He told me my agreement was thus canceled and that I would be rebated the $89 I originally paid for the wine cooler. He left with my wine cooler sitting in the middle of my kitchen and departed.

I then called the Sears Protection Warranty Office, back and was told that my original agreement was only good until December 17, 2013 (what a coincidence) and not 8/14/2016. She said the technician should not have left and should have completed his work. She suggested that I buy a one-year extension of my protection agreement to make sure there were no problems. I did for $74.51 and charged it to my Visa card. She also said that she would arrange for another technician to come back to my house and that she would call me by 3:30 pm. No one called or came; so, I called back at 3:50 pm.

The new person told me that since the wine cooler was not a Kenmore, they would not honor the agreement that Sears sold me and that I would be paid back my $89 original agreement cost plus the $74.51 I had just paid. I asked to talk to her superior. That person said that they would make good on the original agreement for five years and refund my $74 and understood my frustration. She asked for the model number of the EdgeStar and then told me that they would not honor the agreement.

I asked to talk to someone who resolves conflicts. That person told me that she would review my case and call me back within one hour (before 6:00pm). She did not call back. I called again, and was told that my agreement would be honored. We rescheduled an appointment for January 8. December 27, I received a check for $89 from Sears, which I paid for the original protection plan. I did not cash the check, I wanted warranty that I paid for.

January 8, 2014, the Sears Tech was scheduled to fix Wine Refrigerator between 8 am-12:00 noon. The tech called and refused to service my Wine Refrigerator. I lost another ½ vacation day. I called back and Spoke to **. He told me that it would cost more to service my wine cooler than it cost. I told him that the new version of my wine cooler cost $799; so, I found it hard to believe that a compressor replacement would be that expensive and the warranty did not mention anything about Sears being able to back out of their responsibilities because the warranty office views the cost of fixing the wine cooler to be too high.

He suggested that perhaps Sears would pay for the parts and that they would charge me for the labor. I requested a name of someone to appeal my case to. He told me to write a letter of complaint to Executive Customer Relations, 333 Beverly Rd, Mailstop RR, Hoffman Estates, IL 60179. I mailed the letter on January 9, 2014. ** mailed me a $65 Sears gift card. January 23, 2014, I called Sears Warranty and talked to ** to check on the status of my claim. ** said that ** was working on my case and was scheduled to contact me that day.

January 24, 2014, the Senior Case Manager with Sears Executive Office, emailed me to let me know that the brand of refrigerator that I purchased from Sears was not eligible for warranty coverage from Sears. I emailed her back to remind her that they not only sold me a warranty on 07/27/2011 but a renewal for one additional year on 07/17/2013 for $74.51. She said that the tech person had informed me initially that the warranty was not valid and inferred that I should have known better than to purchase the additional year.

My contract (i.e. Certificate Number **) states that I am covered to 12/17/2014. The Product is a wine cooler, model number CWR460DZ. Under Sears Protection Agreement Terms and Conditions: “This Sears Protection (“Agreement”) is a legal contract that describes the terms and conditions of the Protection Plan that you have purchased. Obligations under this Agreement are backed by the full faith and credit of the Obligor.” Under 2. Coverage for Repairs. “We will pay on your behalf the cost of parts and services that are needed to maintain the proper operating condition of your Covered Product.”

Under 3. Coverage for Replacement. “We have the sole right to determine whether a Covered Product will be repaired or replaced.” Nowhere in the agreement is there a suggestion or statement that Sears may just unilaterally cancel this agreement.

Sears did not honor their Sears Master Protection Agreement with me. The EdgeStar wine refrigerator (new model number CWR461DZ, but identical to mine) sells for approximately $799. Sears still sells EdgeStar at the Sears.com online site where I bought my original wine refrigerator. I would bet that they will still sell you a warranty. I talked to a judge about taking this to small claims court. The odds of collecting are slim and more expensive than the original cost of the wine cooler and my time. I give!!! No more Sears for me!

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I Will Never Shop at Sears Again.

By Tammy - 07/25/2012

Rating: 1/51

ROSS TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA -- I have never experienced such horrible customer service from a company in my life. On July 15, my husband and I bought a refrigerator from the Sears at Ross Park Mall. It was delivered on July 21, 2012. The delivery people were not careful in unloading the refrigerator and broke the prong on the electrical cord. I cannot plug in my refrigerator. I was told that someone would come to repair my refrigerator on Monday, July 23. Not ideal, but whatever.

On Monday, I received a call telling me that delivery people were on their way to help me with my dryer. Hello, my dryer is fine. It is my refrigerator which cannot even be plugged in. After spending over an hour on the phone being transferred from one department to the next, being disconnected, and waiting on hold, I was told that we would receive a call on Tuesday night with the window period for when a repairman would come to fix the refrigerator. I never received a phone call. I called Sears this morning asking why the hell have I not received a call saying when a repairman would be coming. They said that someone would come between 1-5 P.M.

While I was out, I received a phone call from Sears informing me that there are not any repair technicians available today, that is why we didn't receive any confirmation call last night; I was told that the next date when a repair person would be available is on August 2, 2012. I yelled at the customer service person. 11 days without a working refrigerator. It is not my fault that Sears' delivery people broke the prong on the electric cord for my refrigerator. I would be up a creek without a paddle had my husband not found a replacement prong at Home Depot; this is absolutely unprofessional and wrong.

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Excellent Delivery - Again

By JXRansom - 11/27/2009

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA -- In the past two years or so I have ordered (always online, never in the store - perhaps this makes a difference?) and had delivered a convection range, a standard/large refrigerator, a dishwasher, a treadmill and today a mattress. For the most part I have been successful in making each purchase so as to include/take advantage of "free delivery" which is often by way of a rebate and yet I have never noticed a difference in delivery service (e.g., "free delivery vs. Paid delivery). Thus far I have not encountered a single delay, unexpected damage/variance nor have I failed to have been informed of a two hour window no later than the evening before.

All but one delivery arrived within the first minutes of the scheduled two hour window (today my mattress arrived about 15 minutes early). With two of the deliveries I also had Sears remove the old item - one being the old range and today the old mattress - a "deal" to me for a mere $10 each removal as it would cost me more to have it hauled away and/or be more trouble than the $10 charge.

With each delivery I have found the delivery personnel were polite, professional, attentive and overall precisely what I would expect from a well-run delivery business (from what I can tell, the delivery personnel are likely contracted out as the staff don't always wear a Sears uniform and the trucks don't always say Sears on the sides, but I'm not certain of this point). With each delivery the lead staff person ensured I had a copy of my receipt and always informed me that I would be contacted later on in day by Sears to check on the status of my satisfaction with the delivery process.

With all but one delivery I have indeed been contacted and asked several questions (e.g., prompt, polite, professional, helpful etc.) and given the opportunity to include my comments and/or ask questions. Today's delivery, as noted above, was about 15 minutes early (scheduled for 2:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.)

At approximately 7:15 A.M. This morning I received a call from a Sears representative noting "we have discovered some damage..." and I thought "oh no, here it comes" but the clerk continued with "there are some loose threads..." and in the end she offered to have the delivery made so that I could make a decision of whether or not to keep the mattress based upon my personal inspection. Furthermore, she noted that if I opted to decline the delivery I could cancel the order completely or have Sears reorder and redeliver, without charge of course.

In all honesty, I dreaded seeing the "damage" as loose threads soon became "gaping hole" in my vivid imagination. However, the delivery personnel were already aware of the "damage" and pointed out the tiniest of frayed threads on the lower edge of a non-flip mattress -- so small was this "damage" that I had to marvel anyone even noticed it in the first place.

I accepted today's delivery (in part because I had already dragged my old mattress to the front door and bid it good riddance in my mind) and was assured the warranty of this rather expensive mattress would not be affected - and I was offered a discount when I called to confirm I accepted the mattress.

Granted, the discount wasn't significant, instead it was basically the delivery fee, but I can't help but feel I likely would not have even noticed the "damage" as the mattress was encased in very heavy plastic that was sealed on all sides - I would have had to spend several minutes inspecting every bit of the plastic covering (it was loose-fitting, but very thick and slightly tinted) to have even discovered the "snag" in the plastic that then highlighted the very meager "damage".

When my range was delivered I did not select "installation" as there's so little to "install" on a gas range I expected to do this myself. However, the delivery personnel informed me they hook up a gas range (if already plumbed and/or a replacement of an existing working range) as part of the delivery service. In fact, the lead delivery person took a few minutes to explain the basics of the oven (you'd think an oven was an oven, but he noted the oven would not work if the clock wasn't set and I'm sure I wouldn't have figured that one out given I rarely read the manual to anything!).

When the refrigerator was delivered I didn't have the space for it cleared/ready (in the garage), however the delivery person didn't just leave it with me as I expected, instead he moved it close enough to at least plug it in and verify it was working and that the lights went on, the door closed properly and that all of the "insides" were intact.

When the dishwasher was delivered the delivery staff knew I did not opt for installation and although they were somewhat surprised to find I expected to do the installation myself (it would be my first dishwasher installation, maybe it showed:), the lead delivery person took a moment to write down the main Sears number "just in case you get stuck and want Sears to finish the installation".

So... with so many complaints I have to wonder if the fact that I've only made my purchases via online makes any difference - or, does the fact that my orders are filled from the same warehouse (not sure this is true, but perhaps it's so) make a difference or, do I happen to live in a town (Sacramento) whose Sears stores have fine-tuned delivery to an outstanding level, an anomaly it seems, but welcome. One thing I do know, there is no way I've just been "lucky" as I've made too many large purchases over the past several years and I have not received this kind of steady excellent service from a two other local "big box" stores.

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Sears Did Not Honor Refrigerator Warranty

By myconcern - 12/06/2008

My 2-year old Kenmore refrigerator quit running on August 12, 2007 due to a defective compressor, which is covered under the 5-year warranty for sealed components. When you call Sears, you get the usual options to select and questions to answer. Then you are put on hold awaiting a live person. This person will be the next person available and could be in any city or state. You can't get the same person you talked to last time. You can give the employee ID number and they still don't know who it is. You must start over with the entire story after you repeat your phone number, name and address.

Several times I was disconnected after telling my story and had to start over with someone else. I frequently got conflicting answers, like “no, they don't do warranty repairs” to “yes, they do warranty repairs.” This is the worst customer service experience I have ever had. Below is a summary of my stressful experience. Following that is the unbelievable details. You will see that Sears continuously changed their story. I got the impression that they were trying to wear me down and drop the issue.

Summary:

My first phone call for service, Sears said the refrigerator was no longer under warranty and it would take a week before Sears could service it.

I said I would call someone else for service because I needed it repaired sooner.

When I called back and explained that a local non-Sears repair service said the problem was the compressor, Sears did not tell me that the warranty was now void. In fact, my warranty description in my manual did not say the warranty would be voided if someone else worked on the refrigerator. Sears proceeded to sell me the service agreement saying that the compressor would be covered under warranty and the service agreement would cover the labor. They did not say that the service agreement would not cover the repair since some else worked on the refrigerator. I asked them to fax the terms of the Service Smart agreement. They said they did not have faxing capabilities. I asked them to email it; they said they could not, that I would have to wait until it arrived in the mail about 10 days after paying for it.

They proceeded to schedule an appt. A week went by, and then the service tech arrived and said he would not replace the compressor because someone else worked on it. He proceeded to write a report that was inaccurate and made it look like the repairperson had damaged the refrigerator.

I called Sears back and explained that the compressor is covered under the 5-yr warranty. They say the “agreement” is void because someone worked on the refrigerator. I can't get them to consider the factory warranty and forget about the service agreement. My manual does not state the warranty is void if someone other than Sears works on the unit.

9/5/07: Received the service agreement contract. If says this agreement does not cover service required as a result of a repair by someone not authorized by Sears. The compressor failed before the repair tech arrived. I called him because the refrigerator quit running. The failed compressor was not caused by the repair tech.

I asked multiple Sears personnel if I could fax them the write-up from the local repair tech, which indicates the compressor, was not working upon his arrival. They said they could not receive faxes. The non-Sears repair tech has agreed to appear in Small Claim court if it comes to this.

I filed a claim with the Better Business Bureau. Sears said my warranty was void because the non-Sears repair tech damaged the refrigerator. This is not true. I will file with Small Claims.

I did Win in small claims court because Sears did not show up.

Below is the detail:

My 2-year old Kenmore refrigerator stopped running on 8/13.

8/13: Called Sears, Service Tech could not come until 8/21.

I could not go w/o a refrigerator for that long, so I called a local service. Only the sealed units were still under warranty. He replaced the start/run switch for $190. It did not help. He said was a faulty compressor and he would not touch it since it was under warranty.

Made the appt. And asked them to have the service tech bring a compressor when he comes so it could be repaired right away.

Cannot bring compressor at first visit. Must come, charge $65, diagnose, and then order the part. Takes a few days to get in. Then they will set up the next appt to install.

Cannot have 2 appointments on the books, so they cannot set up the second appt now.

Compressor is under warranty, but the labor is not.

We stocked food into coolers and purchased many bags of ice. Eventually we bought a small refrigerator for $140. We had already lost about $125 in food.

After I made the appt. I spoke to Employee x. He said I have to select and pay for the plan prior to making the appt.

Must cancel my appt if I want to take the plan, and then reschedule.

Can't provide an est. cost. so we cannot decide in advance if we want the plan.

Called to get service plan. Went through all the automated questions again, a person put me on hold for at least 5 min., and then we were disconnected.

I called back and got the plan. She confirmed that the plan was accepted even though I had an appt.

8/21: The service tech said he would not repair the compressor and that it was no longer under warranty because someone other than Sears worked on the refrigerator. A new compressor would be $452 and the labor $177. He didn't give us the $500 per the Service plan agreement.

8/21: I called Sears and spoke with Employee y of the Dept of Repairs. She said the warranty was voided when the other repair service replaced the switch even though they did not touch the compressor. The unit was still sealed.

8/21: I requested to speak with her supervisor. She said she was the “top” and there was no one above her to talk to. She said that even if I talked to the CEO, he would say the compressor was not covered under the warranty. I persisted and she left a message with the NCR Dept. who must respond within 24 hours.

8/22: The NCR Dept. did not respond. I called them. They were unfamiliar with the situation and I started from scratch. She said that I needed to call the mfg. for the warranty. I said it was Sears, She said “no, it is Kenmore.” She said that the service tech could not do the mfg warranty work. Then why did they send him? I asked for the $65 service charge to be refunded and to cancel the service agreement. She gave me the Cancellation dept. Gave all my info again. They don't handle the Service Smart cancellations. They will transfer me to 1-877-469-5663. Employee z cancelled the agreement. He said the service tech can do warranty work.

8/22: I called the Kenmore number. It was Sears. Selected repairs and was transferred to warranty, but got the Tech Line who handles Service Smart disputes. He reviewed my info. The mesa service tech had reported that the wires were hanging loose and shorted the compressor. That is false. I explained what happened and offered to fax my receipt and description of the repair. Employee A “they” have been looking at this as not being covered by the Service Smart agreement. He feels it should still be covered under mfg warranty and there is no need to fax the repair slip. He was the first person who actually “listened” to me and had any empathy. He will have Employee B call the Mesa Service Unit tomorrow morning and get this resolved.

8/23/07: Employee B has not called me. Called 1-800-767-2000, Opt 1 and asked for Employee B. No such person. They suggested I call Nat'l Customer Relations at 800-927-7836 or Protection Services Resolution Center at 1-888-528-6326. I asked them to connect me to the Service Smart Tech Line in High Point, NC (800-827-6655). They did and someone took a message for Employee B since she was out to lunch.

8/23: Employee B called me. We became disconnected and she called me right back. The Tech Mgr from Mesa has not returned her call. However, she said the compressor should be covered under the warranty and the motherboard, if needed, is most likely covered as well. She will order the parts and schedule service from Mesa. The next avail appt is Wednesday, Aug 29, between 8 and noon. She will tell them not to send the same service tech. He should have at a minimum given us $500 towards a new appliance per the Service Smart agreement. Employee B will reactivate the Service Smart agreement I cancelled. We can cancel after the appt if it is not needed. Can confirm the appt by calling Tech Line again at l 800-775-2023. I can also reach her at that number. She will be out until next Wed, but will in during our service call in case we have a problem and need to contact her.

8/23: I called 800-775-2023 and asked for Employee B. She was gone or away from her desk. I left a message. Perhaps the motherboard should be ordered right away in case it is needed. I don't want to wait another week for a second service appt.

8/28/07: Sears left VM at 6 PM to cancel tomorrow repair appt.

8/28/07 11:00 AM: Called 800-775-2023. Employee A and Employee B are out. Employee C confirmed that the Service Smart agreement has not been reactivated. I explained that Employee B was going to do 3 things for me last Thursday. 1) Order a compressor, 2) reactivate my Service Smart, 3) schedule a service appt for Wed. Aug 29 between 8 and noon. We have yet received the compressor. I asked Employee C to leave a message for Employee B so she sees it first thing in the morning in case we need to reschedule the service appt.

8/29/07: Talked with Employee B. She said they cancelled the appt. For the same reason they did not repair the refrigerator the first time (they determined the compressor was not under warranty). Why did they make this appt in the first place if they were going to refuse to honor it? Why wait until the night before the appt. That adds 6 more days w/o a refrigerator. Employee B will call them. She said Sears must legally replace the compressor.

8/29/07: Sears Repair in Mesa called to set up appt. for Fri or Sat. Set it up for Fri, Aug 31, 8-noon.

8/29/07, 12: 45 PM: I called the Tech Line. The gal confirmed that the compressor is covered because I did not have Service Smart “before” the other company worked on the refrigerator. She confirmed my Service Smart was reactivated to cover the cost of the labor to replace the compressor. She will have Employee B check on the status of the compressor and get back to me.

8/30/07: I called Employee B to confirm part was ordered. She did not respond to that question, but said that Service Smart could not cover the repair because someone else worked on the refrigerator. I explained again that the compressor is covered under the “factory” warranty. She said “You have a good point, I'll look into that and get back to you.

8/30/07, 2PM: Employee B called to say that the warranty is void because someone worked on the refrigerator. She cited their service tech notes that say the previous repairman damaged the refrigerator. I told her, as I had told her before, that I would fax her the repair slip for the previous tech that states that the compressor was weak and maybe bad before he even finished his repair. After all, I called repair service because the refrigerator was not running. So, something was wrong BEFORE the repairman came. She said I could get $500 from Sears (my $240 that I paid for the service plan plus their $260) but it must be spent at Sears. I told her I would never buy an appliance from Sears again. I then told her I would contact an atty. She said she could no longer talk to me and gave me the number of Nat'l Customer Relations (800-927-7836).

Called Nat'l Customer Relations and explained briefly what is going on to **. She said they handle service agreements, not warranty. I should call the Mesa service unit regarding warranty 480-497-7733. I have talked with them in the past and they refuse service because they say the warranty is void.

9/13/07: Retrieved Small Claims form to complete.

9/13/07: Called Sears Repair number, selected warranty. Explained the situation to **. She said she could not determine where we bought our refrigerator, just when. But she said if I would cancel my Service agreement, then make a repair appt., the compressor will be covered under warranty. She said to call 888-528-6326.

9/13/07: Called 888-528-6326, spoke with Employee D and said I wanted to cancel my agreement. She put me on hold and Employee E answered, a Sears Tech Support. I said I wanted to cancel the agreement. He started to read the notes. I summarized it. He said the compressor would not be covered if someone else worked on it. But they would refund my $240 for the agreement. Then he said there were a lot of notes and he better speak with his supv first (He said “she,” I suspect it was Employee B). He said someone would call me back tomorrow. His dep'ts direct line is 800-775-2023. That is the number for Employee B's dept.

9/14/07: Called 800-549-4505 (customer service). Spoke with the regulator compliance specialist. She is working on my claim with the BBB and plans to respond soon. Her number is 800-762-3049, ext **. I explained that I had not been given a chance to provide the local service tech's findings and accurate description of repairs. She gave me her fax number **.

9/18/08: Sears responded to the BBB claim saying they would not pay the claim. They said to call for a full refund of the service agreement plan. I had to call two or 3 phone numbers and speak with multiple people to get the refund. They tried to charge me for the service visit in which the service tech did nothing. I refused to pay that. After being on put on hold, they came back and agreed on a full refund.

10/5/07: Sears replied to the BBB complaint stating that they believe the repair tech damaged the refrigerator and therefore they would not honor the warranty.

I will file with small claims on 10/9/07.

I won in small claims court because Sears did not show up.

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Incompetent Uncaring Company, I Am Surprised Used To Have A Great Name

By Lawrence - 05/26/2008

BELLEROSE, NEW YORK -- Mr. Johnson, I am writing to you with a sense of desperation, as I have been unable to get service for my Refrigerator which has had a service contract from Sears since I purchased it. Both my wife and I have been repeatedly lied to, mislead, and in general, treated with a complete lack of compassion or understanding. I'd like to give you a brief history of what has been going on although I am sure if you access my file in your records by my name, address and telephone number you will see our repeated attempts to try to get the service we paid for.

On Sunday, May 18, 2008 at approximately 2:30 pm my wife heard a loud irregular noise coming from our refrigerator. When she opened the doors she found the lights were out in both refrigerator and freezer and noticed that rather than the gentle hum of the motor there was silence. She immediately brought the matter to my attention. I checked my circuit breaker panel, which has a dedicated line for the refrigerator, and visually noted no change in the switch. My wife called 1-800-4MY-HOME and scheduled an appointment for service for the following day.

On the morning of Monday, May 19, 2008 while I was waiting for the service man to arrive I went to my circuit breaker panel and threw the circuit breaker for the line for my refrigerator. I went upstairs and noticed that the power had returned to the unit, but when I opened the freezer door, I noticed there was a strange odor but was not sure if it was related. I had a doctor's appointment so I had to leave before the serviceman came, but my wife stayed home and waited to receive service on the appliance. That afternoon the serviceman came, I don't know his name but his ID is #** his name must be on record concerning this service incident.

He asked my wife what had happened and he immediately informed her before inspecting the refrigerator that it was probably a problem with our electrical system and there was nothing he could do. He asked for a vacuum cleaner which my wife provided.

He vacuumed the front of the bottom on the refrigerator, which incidentally was already vacuumed and clean, for approximately 30 seconds. He replaced the bottom guard, he opened the freezer door, noticed condensation and informed my wife that first we should consult our owner's manual to determine what type of noise our refrigerator is supposed to make, and second that we must have left the freezer door open which caused the condensation and said there was nothing more that was needed to be done and left.

Mr. Johnson, both my wife and I have owned refrigerators our entire life; we were born after the era of the ice box, so we are absolutely familiar with the sounds a refrigerator is supposed to make. This was not a noise which is made during the normal operation of a refrigerator. Also, he made no indication as to the odor that emanated from the refrigerator. In my opinion this technician is incompetent and could have prevented the following chain of events.

Unfortunately I was not here when the serviceman came as possibly I would have been able to make sure that the serviceman did his job. Rather he took advantage of my wife, who is not familiar with the technical aspects of the operation of a refrigerator. By the time I returned home it was approximately 5 pm and the house reeked of a strange chemical smell. At which time we placed a follow-up call to 1-800-4MY-HOME to reschedule another appointment. Incidentally, by this time there was a large puddle of water on the floor in front of the freezer door and my frozen food was beginning to thaw.

When we spoke to the dispatcher they informed us that since the Monday service call had not cleared from the computer they could not schedule a new service call and that we would have to call back the following morning. As to the chemical odor, the service representative told my wife he would make a “health, or safety” report and someone would get back to us shortly in regard to the odor. That night no one had gotten back to us and my wife began to experience difficulty breathing as the result of this chemical odor she needed to take medication for her condition brought about by this gas, and I had to thoroughly vent the house before we went back home.

That night I had my wife sleep at her sister's house and I returned home and opened all the windows and activated my attic fan in an effort to clear the house of the gas. I picked my wife up first thing Tuesday morning, returned home, and called the service center. They informed me that they would not be able to schedule an appointment until Wednesday, at which time I asked to speak to a supervisor.

I was transferred to ** at your corporate offices who kindly said she would look into the matter while I was on hold and informed me that their service vehicles were vandalized so they couldn't schedule me for that day, but that they would put me on the schedule for Wednesday unless a vehicle became available sooner. They gave us an appointment for Wednesday between 8 am-12 pm. Both my wife and I waited for the serviceman, At approximately 1 PM Mr. **, I.D. #** arrived at my home, he appeared to be very knowledgeable and professional, and immediately recognized the odor as refrigerant.

Mr. ** pulled out and inspected the rear of the refrigerator and then opened the freezer, removed the cover to the evaporator and found two holes in the side of the evaporator that apparently blew out which started the release of gas on Sunday. He also verified that all our frozen food was ruined but was unsure as to whether we were covered for the loss on our service agreement. Mr. ** informed us that the compressor, the evaporator, the coils and some other part needed to be replaced. He said that it has been his experience that a job as extensive as this has never worked successfully.

He called his manager to explain the situation advising him of his lack of confidence in replacing the parts but his manager insisted that he first replace the parts and if that doesn't work then Sears would replace the refrigerator for the customer.

Naturally, when Mr. ** informed me of this I was unhappy with his manager's decision because at this point it has been four days since we have been without a working refrigerator, we lost all our perishable items and at best the parts will come by the 22nd of May at which time I call for an appointment which wouldn't be until at best the 23rd. Having no control over the situation, I patiently agreed. He informed me that the parts will be sent to my home, at which time I should call for a third service appointment.

On Thursday, May 22, 2008 I called the service department to inquire as to when the parts would be delivered as I have been taking my family to restaurants for 5 days now and it's beginning to get costly. The dispatcher I spoke to was very helpful and informed me that the parts were to be delivered that day, the 22nd and she would go ahead and schedule the service call for Friday, May 23rd so that I would not have to go through the holiday weekend without a refrigerator I would like to commend that person but she hung up before I was able to get her name or I.D. #.

I was informed that the serviceman would be here between 8 am and 5 pm. The parts did arrive later that day, Thursday the 23rd of May, as the service dispatcher promised. On the morning of Friday, May 23, 2008 I called to find out approximately what time the service technician would be coming as my wife had a doctor's appointment and I had an emergency dental appointment, and wanted to make sure that one of us would be here for the serviceman's arrival. I was told that he would be here sometime between 12 pm and 5 pm.

My wife and I left at 9:30 for our respective medical appointments, and I put my home phone on call forwarding to my cell phone so as not to miss any phone calls from Sears. While I was in the dentist chair, a call was forwarded to my cell phone from the technician, inquiring about the number of boxes that were delivered. I informed him that three boxes were delivered, he told me that there should have been four boxes as four parts were ordered, and it wouldn't make any sense for him to come if all the parts were not available. But he did say that he would check with his dispatcher to see if all the parts were delivered.

When I got home from the dentist I called the dispatcher and informed him what the driver said to me, and he verified that all the parts were delivered and advised me that he would notify the serviceman. I asked him “can he guarantee that I will get my repair today?”? He told me he would try, at which time I asked to speak to a manager. He forwarded me to your corporate office, customer care department, where I spoke to **, I.D. #**.

I explained the entire story to **, he looked up our records and told me he understood my frustration, put me on hold, spoke to the dispatcher then got back to me and assured me that the service technician would be there to try to repair my refrigerator, if the repairs were unsuccessful Sears would authorize a replacement refrigerator.

He even gave me his extension at 1-800-609-5650, extension ** and told me to contact him personally if there were any additional problems as Sears had dropped the ball 1st on Monday with an incompetent service representative, 2nd Monday night by not having someone call back concerning the safety issue which was posed by the leaking refrigerant that was reported, and 3rd that Sears allowed my family to be without refrigeration for 6 days now.

At 2:30 pm I started to get a little nervous because the service technician who came on Wednesday informed me that this was a 5 hour job and it was starting to get late in the day. I called the service department and they assured me that the serviceman was on his way to my location. I asked to speak to a manager, they forwarded me to the corporate office again, and I spoke to **, ID #**. I asked her to connect me with ** at extension #**, she told me she could not transfer me but had me repeat my entire story again. Then she asked me if she could put me on hold, called the dispatcher and assured me that I would get my service call today.

At 3 pm I called the corporate office and spoke to **, ID #** and he assured me that the serviceman was en route after checking with the dispatcher. I asked him if I could speak to his supervisor and he informed me that the manager was away from his desk but would get back to me before 5 pm.

At 3:30 pm I called corporate office and spoke to **, ID #** and asked her to transfer me to ** at extension ** and she told me that she was unable to transfer calls. I asked her if I could speak to a manager and she told me that there was no manager available and that she was the highest level of contact I could speak to and that their supervisors are only there for quality control. Again, I explained my entire story which she verified by the notes on our account. She asked if she could put me on hold, she spoke to the dispatcher, got back to me and told me that the service technician was on the way.

At 4:30 the service technician telephoned and said that he was stuck in traffic but was on his way and that he would be here within 45 minutes to an hour. At 4:45 we received a phone call from the dispatcher saying that we would not be receiving service today as this is a two-man job and the helper was not available to assist the service technician. She told me that she would have to reschedule our appointment and my wife told her that it would have to be first thing tomorrow morning. She then replied that since it was a holiday weekend no service could be made until Tuesday.

At this point my wife and I were beside ourselves with a sense of frustration and powerlessness. We have been dealing with incompetence, lies, and treated with a total lack of professional courtesy. I placed another call to the corporate office and spoke to ** #**. I explained the entire situation yet again which, as you can imagine, I was tired of explaining when they have it all written out in front of them in their computer records. I must say that ** had very poor professional telephone ethics; she informed me that she couldn't transfer me to ** at extension **, that her supervisor, **, was out of the building and would get back to us Saturday morning.

At this point for my own health and wellbeing I had to stop pursuing trying to get satisfaction as I was getting nowhere. At 3:19 pm today, while in the process of composing this letter, I received a telephone call from **, ID #** (who initially refused to give me her I.D. But then checked with her manager and was ordered to do so) and asked me if she could reschedule my appointment for Wednesday, May 28th!!! I asked her if she was aware that they cancelled my service appointment on Friday and told her that I wanted someone here first thing on Tuesday morning.

She told me that no one was available at that time. I asked her to please connect me with her manager and she informed me that she could not transfer me and that she would have her manager call me back. A few minutes later at 3:28 pm ** at the call center (who claims to have no ID number) telephoned and said (as if he was doing us a favor) that he was setting up an appointment at their earliest convenience for Wednesday, May 28, 2008.

Mr. Johnson I have no idea what is going to happen next but I think you would agree with me that we've passed the point of reasonable customer service. It is now Saturday, May 24, 2008 at 5 pm. It is obvious I will not have any refrigeration until possibly Wednesday which will make a total of 11 days without refrigeration. I have had to feed my family at restaurants for each of these days. I have had to spend an evening in the emergency room. I have had to throw away $350 worth of food. I had to cancel a family barbeque that we had planned for Memorial Day weekend.

I have absolutely no confidence that when the service technician does replace these parts that my refrigerator will operate properly for any reasonable length of time, if it operates at all, as your service technician informed me that he has never seen a refrigerator work after this type of repair.

Mr. Johnson I am sure if you review my purchase history you will see that my wife and I have been loyal customers for many years, both in our purchases and our service contracts. I have also influenced many people to shop at Sears as I have always been pleased with your company and have never run into this level of incompetence and disregard for the customer's satisfaction. I am writing to you as a last ditch effort to avert the continuing injustice that has resulted as policies that you may be unaware of.

Also please be advised that I am forwarding a copy of this to the Better Business Bureau of New York and to consumer advocates at WNYC Channel 5 Fox “Call for Action” and WABC Channel 7 News, “Help Me Howard”, as I am just one poor consumer without any leverage caught under the Sears corporate rock. I have tried to name as many contacts as I could so that these people can be instructed on how to handle this type of situation should it occur in the future as I am sure you wouldn't ever want your family to go through a situation like this.

I hope to hear from you in the very near future. I have gone through the expense of sending this letter via FedEx so it will arrive in a timely manner. Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.

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Bad Customer Service/Repair Center

By CrappyCustomerServiceEverywhere - 01/16/2008

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA -- 10/2/07 purchased brand new freezerless Kenmore fridge from the Sears in Northridge, California. On 1/5/08 my fridge was making a loud gurgling noise as well as a steam release noise. I unplugged it and all of a sudden, water came gushing out of the bottom and inside of the fridge. I called repair center and was informed that no one can come fix it that day and won't be able to until Tues. I informed rep that I'm leaving town for a week and can't have them come till the 15th. He set me up for a window of 1-5 pm and I told him I can't take any time off for this and need an appointment after 5:00 pm.

He informed me that the latest appointment available would be at 5:30 and that he would schedule me for that time on the 15th. I then asked if I am eligible for food reimbursement even though I did not purchase the extended warranty, and I was told yes. He transferred me to the warranty dept and I was disconnected. I was on hold for a while and then was bounced around person to person until finally someone knew the correct answer and was told I'm not eligible. I informed the woman that close to an hour of my time was wasted because of uninformed staff.

On the 14th I receive an automated message confirming that my appointment was between 1-5. I called customer service again and the rep sent a message to the router center to put me last on their list. He informed me that the last appointment was at 5:00 and not 5:30. He gave me a number to call the next day and ask to speak with a manager and explain the situation and to make sure that they received the message.

1/15/08 I called the no. and asked to speak with the supervisor. I explained the situation and she told me that the last call is at 5:00. I asked her if she can have the tech come to my house at 5:10 and she said no that she doesn't have the power to do that. I informed her that my ex-husband used to work for Sears, and yes she can do that, but she refused and told me that the tech had 8 jobs, he's only done 3, has 5 left, it's 1:10 and he hasn't taken his one hour lunch yet and she guaranteed that I'm last on the list and that she's sure he's not going to finish his jobs before 5:00 and that he probably won't get to my house after 5:00.

At 3:40 I get a call from the tech informing me that he's on his way to my house. I told him I'm not home and won't be till about 5:00. He said he can't wait and I told him that I spoke with the manager and what she said the case was and not to go far because I'm going to call her. I called again and the same supervisor answered the phone. She informed me that he can't wait and that there's nothing she can do about it.

I asked for a phone number to headquarters and she said that there isn't one. I said yes there is and I want it and she said that District is the highest number they give and she gave me the number I just called her on. I asked her what good is that going to do me if I get her and she's not helping me. I told her I already lost $300 worth of food, my time back on forth on the phone with them, and now money because I have to by 3 meals a day for us and cannot afford that.

She wasn't helpful so I said fine I'll go to the newspapers with this and hung up. Within 30 seconds, the tech called me and told me that he doesn't want me to be upset anymore and will try to accommodate me, but that he can't do it that day because they were sending him to Calabasas and will not pay for him to come back to where I lived because he will not be back till about 7 and they won't pay for that and they won't pay for him to wait for me to get home in an hour and he promised me to schedule me for tomorrow and put me last on the list again. I agreed. I gave the key to my neighbor, who was getting out of work at 3:00.

1/16/07 I called the tech to confirm the appointment and he informed me that he did make it, that he put me last on the list, but that he did not have the call and it was given to someone else. He gave me a number to customer service (the original number I called to set up the repair service) to call to get an approximate time of when the tech is coming today. I called and was informed that the appointment was done for tomorrow 1/17/08 and not today. I explained the situation to customer service and she put me on hold and spoke with the warranty dept. and they said that they can't come today and don't do same day service.

She then called the router department where I dealt with that original manager and she was told the same thing and that they will give my call to a tech who finishes early in the area and that they will call me and inform me of what's going on. My neighbor was kind and left a 1/2 hour early from work in case they come early. I never heard from the manager and they never came!!!

I had sent a complaint to headquarter the previous day and I received an email today informing me how much they value me as a customer and had the nerve to ask me to call them. Hello... you sold me a piece of crap, I'm getting jerked around and blown off by your repair center, I have lost $300 worth of food, I'm on high blood pressure meds and have to eat out, my blood pressure is now sky high from the stress they have caused me, spend extra money to eat out, spent at least 5 hours on the phone and you're freaking asking me to call you to resolve the situation.

Apparently they can't pick up the phone and call me after all this crap they put me through and have the nerve to tell me to call them. They've already made me jump through hoops, and they want me to jump through more. You have got to be kidding me. I responded to them with an update. And after not hearing back from the manager by the end of their business day, I told them to come and pick up the fridge. I don't want it. I don't want it fixed and don't want a replacement. I told them that I want to be credited on my credit card and that if they don't pick it up, I will not pay for it and will fight till the end to save my credit.

I actually called the store and spoke with the sales person and explained everything. I had looked at the fridge and freezer a year before and promised that I would go back to him, which I did. He informed me that they won't take the fridge back because the 90 days are up... it broke 3 days after the 90 day period! He transferred me to One Source, but got disconnected. He called back to follow-up and I told him I won't waste any more time being put on hold and jerked around and I'll take this to the BBB and newspapers. The heck with the papers... this site is better... but I will be filing a complaint with the BBB.

He said that he will call them and will have someone call me back. I will get rid of my Sears account, and will never step foot in Sears or K-Mart and will research to see what other sister/parent companies of Sears and won't go to them. WHAT IS UP WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE IN CALIFORNIA? They reel you in, take your money and screw you!